(*Source: BusinessWeek *)

Reena Jana says:

The social-networking site's new fashion community might benefit big, established brands and fledgling designers alike

Since its launch in 2003, social-networking site MySpace (NWS) has been associated with music fans, as well as teens and twentysomethings seeking to meet or contact friends online, but now the site hopes to court another trendy group: fashionistas. On Aug. 28, MySpace launches a fashion community just in time for the spring 2008 runway shows that will take place during New York's Fashion Week, Sept. 5-12.

The move reflects MySpace's strategy of identifying the communities of interest that have grown organically and the building official member communities around them, turning once-grassroots groups into content platforms for old-media companies and consumer brands. But will the top-down approach work? And if so, who will be the big winners—the established corporations or the unknown designers trying to make their names among peer-driven social networks?

Pairing Partner and User Content

These are the questions that surround MySpace's fashion community, whose no-frills beta-version launch last September was timed to coincide with the 2006 New York Fashion Week shows. The new, redesigned landing page is appropriately stylish. It features a highly textured set of images, including a price-tag graphic featuring a daily fashion trend and tactile images of fabric swatches. In addition, a series of video screens of varying shapes shows interviews with bands and stars—including actress/musician Hilary Duff—who talk about their own dressing habits. Slick content from big-media partners such as InStyle magazine, including behind-the-scenes footage of photo shoots and how-to guides for applying makeup, is positioned near user-generated videos submitted by aspiring designers.

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